The Breath of Skyrim
by airylianWarrior
Summary: The tale of two sisters who loved each other, separated by the divines. One walked the path of righteousness; the other fell into chaos. As they fight to find each other, a wedge divides them even further. Will they ever reunite or have they been damaged beyond reconciliation? (OC/?)(OC/?) Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, Companions, and Civil War arcs included. Main quest, too.
1. Prologue: Farewell, Dragonborn

Dear Sister,

This country has taken much from me. The one thing that I hate having lost the most is you. What did we do to deserve this fate? Such cruelty I've faced; and hardships you've overcome. I only regret that our paths were split by whatever divine deemed you worthy of being bestowed the gift of Dragonborn.

This fate…this path that was drawn out for you and for me has rendered our relationship void. I wish that it was not so, but despite my longing, the truth remains.

I leave now for High Rock. There is nothing left here in Skyrim that is worth staying for. Everyone who I've loved is dead, jailed, or have exiled me. I cannot say that I don't blame you for this. It is because of you that my loved ones have perished or been imprisoned. And for this, I cannot forgive. So I must leave Skyrim. My bitterness and need for vengeance grows ever stronger and I could not bear ruining the future of Nirn.

Sister, I know not what awaits for me in High Rock. I only hope that I find happiness in a world that has grown to hate me.

Farewell, Dragonborn.

Your Sister,

The Listener

* * *

_**A/N: **Hi, so this is my first Elder Scrolls story. Please go easy on me. I'm not entirely sure if there's going to be romance in this one, but I'll probably ask about who you'd like to see with my two characters later. Maybe after a few chapters? Yeah, probably. Anyway, I know this isn't much and it's probably not as good as it could be, but I wanted to get it up. If I ever finish the story I'll probably revise it. _

_Anyway, if you liked it, hated it, might be interested even just a little, leave a comment or something, please? I'll try to have the first chapter up in the next week or so. Thanks for reading! ^_^_


	2. Chapter One

_The warm, golden rays of the sun lit up the room the two girls shared. They stood at their window, looking down at the courtyard below. Mama and Elynia, their older sister, sat below in the horse drawn carriage, belongings at their feet. Mama, back rigid and face blank, kept her eyes forward away from Papa, away from the house. Elynia, the ever refined and dignified heiress, sat with her back straight, hands folded in her lap. She spoke with Papa, every word falling silent in the ears of the twins. _

_Freya, the youngest of the twins, watched with tears in her eyes. She didn't want Mama or Elyn to leave her. Why couldn't they stay? Why couldn't she go with them? It all seemed so unfair. _

_Rosamund, the eldest twin, looked on with disinterest. For months, Mama complained, whined, and pleaded to leave High Rock. _A Nord should be with her people_, is what she often said. Living amongst Bretons for the past twenty years must have been so suffocating for Mama. Yes, living lavishly amongst those who treated her with the utmost honor and respect must have been so terrible. Rosa had counted down the days until this day; it almost seemed unreal that it finally came. _

_Rosa sent her sniffling sister a strange look. "Why so surprised, sister? Did you not know our mother's plans?"_

"_Of course I did," was the snappish reply. "I knew; only, I had hoped she'd take me with her."_

"_Don't be so stupid. Mother has always favored Elynia."_

_Freya remained silent. She hugged herself tightly with frail arms, chin tucked against her chest. Perhaps her hopes had been foolish. The thought would never have entered into Mama's mind to bring her two youngest daughters with her to Skyrim. _

"_Do you think she'll send for us to live with her? Once she's settled into a new home?"_

_Rosa snorted. "No, she'll forget us the moment she crosses the border."_

"…_do you truly think so?"_

"_I know she will."_

-o-

The plan was simple: stow away in the dark of night while everyone slept on and leave not even a whisper of where she'd gone. So, if it was such a simple plan, it must have been easy to execute. Nothing should have gone wrong. Yet, despite how simple it was, how had she landed in such an embarrassing situation?

Freya lied on the hard ground, a pout on her lips as she stared up at her light haired sister. Rosa stubbornly sat on top of her, arms crossed; refusing to move until an explanation of some kind was given.

"I cannot believe that you'd planned to leave without saying goodbye," Rosa scolded. "You were just going to leave, then? By yourself? You have no money, no weapon, no sense of direction. You'd die out there all alone. Why didn't you ask me to come with you?"

Lips sealed tight, fists clenched. She wouldn't dare say.

"I know you've wanted to visit Skyrim since we were young, but you're simply unprepared. You're not fitted for the wilds," Rosa continued on. "You'd run away at the first sign of danger; cry if you broke a nail. So, _why_?"

The younger sister rolled her eyes. "I'm not as weak as you make me out to be."

"Really? Just last week you whined because of a bit of dirt on your dress."

"That's not weak," Freya snorted. "It was my prettiest dress, you know. Papa had it made for me for our coming of age celebration. I treasure it very much. It's not ridiculous to mourn the defilement of something precious."

"No, I suppose not," Rosa agreed. "Still, you wouldn't last a week alone in Skyrim."

"You don't know that."

"I do, actually."

A pause.

"What do you propose, then, dear sister?" Rosa questioned. "Shall I go with you? Or should I tell Father about your failed attempt to run away?"

"Ah! There's no need of that, really," she said, smiling weakly. "Why don't you come a long? I'm sure travelling would be more favorable with a companion."

Rosa grinned, patted her younger sister's rosy cheek and stood. "Great! I'll be only a moment." She disappeared inside the house.

Freya got to her feet, straightening out her now dirtied dress and scowled. Divines help her. She did not want to travel with her sister. The last time they took a trip together to visit their aunt up north, Rosa talked constantly. She made inappropriate remarks about those they travelled with, poking fun at couples for cuddling up in the cold wind and badgering a man in fine clothing with senseless questions. It gave her a headache; no doubt, this journey would end the same.

She had half a mind to disappear while her sister gathered her belongings. The journey alone would be much quieter, peaceful. It wouldn't be fair to Rosa, though. She wanted to come along. It's an adventure, after all; and Rosa always wanted to be an adventurer. So, Freya waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Just when she began to wonder if Rosa had changed her mind, the girl reappeared. She'd changed into travelling clothes and wore shoes fit for walking long distances. A dark green knapsack hung from her left shoulder, weighed down with supplies and extra clothing, no doubt. Rosa grinned down at her.

"Ready, then?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she said, "Yes."

The journey would be long.

-o-

The first week passed without any hitches.

They crossed the border of Skyrim at the dawning of the second week. When Freya's feet first touched the land of Skyrim, she became quite still. After waiting all of these years, she's finally here. She's finally here and it almost felt like a dream. A few short weeks ago she never had a hope of seeing this land. Yet, here she is.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the air of Skyrim; a long, deep breath. A small smile touched her lips. The air was clear; devoid of the stench of the city.

It was the dusk of the third week that the twins ran into trouble. They'd set up camp a little ways away from an old mining town. Close enough to run to if in need of help; far enough away that their small fire couldn't be seen through the trees. The world did not treat travelling women kindly; better to be cautious than to blindly trust that strangers have pure intentions.

Freya busied herself with putting their tent up. Rosa had went out to gather fire wood so the younger sister could begin dinner. After raising the tent for three weeks straight, she found it incredibly easy to do so now. It was difficult that first week. She'd get tangled up and frustrated, waiting until her sister came back from hunting or gathering wood to help her. By now, the third week, it took her a few short minutes; a feat she is quite proud of.

After finishing with the tent, she started dinner preparations.

Rosa came back a few short minutes later, arms full with firewood. She built the fire and sat down in front of it, shivering. "How long 'til dinner, sister? I'm starved."

"I highly doubt you're starved, Rosamund," Freya said. She sent her sister an amused smile and answered, "It should only be twenty minutes yet. I assume you shall not perish before then?"

"Aye, I suppose I shan't."

Rosa subjected Freya to old stories the girl had heard hundreds of times before while she cooked dinner. Freya half-listened, her thoughts far away. She still hasn't confided in her sister the real reason she wished to leave High Rock. Perhaps unfair, yet she couldn't do it. Soon, though. Soon she would tell Rosa and have this burden lifted from her shoulders.

The world around them darkened as they ate dinner in silence. Firelight flickered, casting shadows on the trees around them. The sky filled with thousands of stars, all twinkling like diamonds on dark velvet. Viewing the stars in the city was a difficult task. Out here, in the wild, the sky spread out as far as the eye could see, thousands of stars visible. The first night they had set up camp the two girls spent outside of their tent. They'd stared up at the sky, eyes wide and full of awe. Freya had never seen something so beautiful; neither dresses nor jewels could ever compare.

Freya took first watch.

A yawned "goodnight" from Rosa greeted her ears before her sister stumbled into the tent. A moment later, snores drifted out from the flaps.

Freya giggled quietly and walked to the edge of their small camp. There she leant against a tree, keeping up her guard. Two hours passed without any disturbances. In the middle of the third hour of her watch, divines cast the inhabitants of the void upon her.

It started with the breaking of a twig to her left. The sound caught her attention and brought her out of thought. When nothing more came of it, she figured it to be an animal passing by. She relaxed, and sighed. Thank Divines.

Five minutes later, another twig snapped.

She straightened and looked around. In the darkness, it was hard to tell what was out there. Not wolves for they howled when in sight of prey. A man? Maybe more? Her eyes flicked from side to side. Hands raised in defense, magic burning her palms. Her pulse increased as footsteps neared her. She turned and screamed.

"Divines be damned, Freya! Shhhh!" The taller woman covered her mouth with her hand. "You've just alerted half the woods that we're here."

She quieted and pulled Rosa's hand from her face. "I heard footsteps-not yours, but someone else's."

"I know," her sister nodded. "I heard them, too. I'll take over watch; try to get some sleep."

"But-"

"Go. It's fine."

She meant to reassure her; Freya knew this, but she couldn't help the sense of dread that roiled her stomach. Freya acquiesced her sister's order and went to their tent.

* * *

_**A/N: **Thanks for reading! I actually got this out a bit earlier than I thought I would. Ahh...I'm not quite sure when I'll post the next chapter. Probably by the end of next week. Anyway, please comment if you like it or if you have any suggestions for things I can improve on. Any constructive criticism is welcomed, because gods know I need it. _


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